


Got Your Back

by petersnotkingyet



Series: Love is Blind (and so is Kenny) [15]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Ableism, Alternate Universe, Blind Character, Blind!Kent Parson, Disabled Character, Epilepsy, Established Relationship, Healthy Relationships, Hospitalization, Hospitals, M/M, Seizures, Swoops is a good bro, There's a little medical stuff in this but i am not a doctor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 22:24:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17232317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petersnotkingyet/pseuds/petersnotkingyet
Summary: It took about ten minutes to get word to Alexei.  Jeff called Georgia right after he called the ambulance, she told the coaches, and the coaches pulled Alexei off the ice as soon as they could.  He went to sit at first, thinking it was just another shift change, but the head coach gestured him over.  Their heads were close together, and no one else heard what was said.  All the fans saw was Alexei’s stricken face before he disappeared down the tunnel, already stripping gear off.





	Got Your Back

It took about ten minutes to get word to Alexei.  Jeff called Georgia right after he called the ambulance, she told the coaches, and the coaches pulled Alexei off the ice as soon as they could.  He went to sit at first, thinking it was just another shift change, but the head coach gestured him over.  Their heads were close together, and no one else heard what was said.  All the fans saw was Alexei’s stricken face before he disappeared down the tunnel, already stripping gear off.  Kent and Jeff had gone to the hospital in the back of the ambulance, so Alexei drove himself alone, heart hammering in his chest.  When he got there, Jeff was in the waiting room.

“How long?” Alexei asked.

“Seven minute and nine seconds,” Swoops said.  “He hit his head again too.”

Alexei scrubbed a hand down his face.  Any seizure longer than five minutes meant a trip to the hospital.  It had only happened a handful of times since Kent and Alexei started dating.  The worst of which had been a six and a half minute seizure at the bus stop while Alexei was on a roadie and Jeff was out of town.  Kent said it happened more often when he was younger, and Alexei couldn’t imagine being Kent’s mother.

“Family of Kent Parson?” a doctor called ten minutes later.  Alexei and Swoops both pounced on the man.

“I’m partner,” Alexei said.  “He’s best friend.”

“Mr. Parson seems to be doing just fine,” the doctor said.  “He has four stitches in his forehead, but there’s no indication that he had a concussion or any lasting effects from the seizure.  Is his epilepsy usually this uncontrolled?”

Alexei and Jeff both shook their heads.  It had been over a year since Kent had seized for more than a couple minutes.

“Has anything changed recently with sleeping or medication?”

“He’s not sleep well this week,” Alexei said.  The doctor nodded.

“That’s probably the cause, then.  Look into fixing any outside causes like noise or stress,” he said.  “I’m going to send him home with a prescription for some sleeping pills.”

“I’m see him now?” Alexei asked.

“Of course,” the doctor said.  “Room 119.”

Kent was awake in the hospital bed, but he was lying on his side with his knees pulled up.  His hands were pressed against his head, dangerously close to the white bandage on his forehead.  Alexei rapped his knuckles on the open door gently to let Kent know someone was coming in.

“Kenny,” he said softly, “is Alexei and Jeff.”

Kent’s response was mumbled and incoherent, but Alexei caught his own name in it.  His eyes were barely open, and he looked like he was in pain.

“Everything is okay,” Alexei said.  He took the empty chair beside the bed and grabbed the hand that was closest to the bandage.  Kent had an IV in the crook of his elbow, and Alexei was careful not to shift it as he rubbed slow circles on the back of his hand.  “You’re having medicine.  It’s working soon.”

Kent didn’t respond this time.  He shifted his legs just a little, and his eyes closed the rest of the way.

“Sleeping is good,” Alexei said.  “Go to sleep, Kenny.  Everything is okay.”

They kept Kent in the hospital overnight.  Jeff made Alexei promise to call if they needed anything before he went home around ten, and Alexei got a few hours of sleep on the room’s small couch.  The nurses woke him when they came in every few hours, but Kent slept through most of it.  Even without the amount of medication he’d been given, the seizure was more than enough to exhaust him.  He didn’t have any more during the night though, so his doctor was willing to release him in the morning.  Jeff was there at eight AM to help them get home.  It was only a twenty minute drive from the hospital to their apartment, but Kent was wiped by the time they got him on the couch. 

“Here’s these,” Jeff said, handing over the pharmacy bag of sleeping pills.  “The instructions for taking care of the stitches are in there too.  And here’s your keys.”

“Thank you,” Alexei said.  In the early days of their relationship, Alexei had been intimidated by how close Kent and Jeff were.  Now, he couldn’t imagine days like today without Kent’s best friend.  Having Jeff there to drive and knowing Kent’s boss had already been called made a hospitalization easier to manage.

“Yeah, no problem,” Jeff said.  “Don’t forget to check in with George today, alright?”

“Yes,” Alexei agreed.  She already knew he’d be out for at least two days, but everyone would want to know how Kent was too.  Kent wasn’t as involved as some of the WAGs were, but he was a fixture around the team.

“I’ll get going then,” Jeff said, pausing to say goodbye to Kent even though he was already sleeping.  “Call me if you need anything.”

“I will,” Alexei agreed.  “Thanks, Jeff.”

Kent was dead to the world on the couch, but Alexei was still careful to keep his voice down when he called Georgia.  She answered on the second ring, and he felt bad for not texting her more at the hospital.

“Tater,” she said quickly.  “How’s Kent?”

“Was bad one, but we’re home from hospital now,” Alexei said.  “He’s sleep on couch.”

“How’s his head?” Georgia asked.

“Four stitches,” Alexei said, “but no concussion.”

“Well, I guess that’s good,” she said.  “We’ve got you pulled for today’s practice and the Flyers game tomorrow, but we can do as many days as you need, Alexei.”

“Thank you,” Alexei said.  Two days didn’t sound like nearly enough, but he knew Kent would be pushing him out of the apartment by Saturday.  He hated making Alexei miss games, and Swoops would be around during the weekend anyways.  “I will let you know if we’re needing to.  Is hard to tell how long recovery will take sometimes.”

“Of course,” Georgia said.  “You just let me know, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you,” Alexei said again.

“Tater, there’s one more thing,” Georgia said hesitantly.  “I hate to tell you this, but I figured you’d rather hear it from me.”

“Bad news?” Alexei asked.

“No, not really,” Georgia said.  “Just a stupid journalist.  Someone asked Marty in the post-game if he thought Kent affected your reliability as a player.  Marty had your back, and he spoke for all of us.  It was just a shitty thing to say, and I didn’t want you to come across it with no warning.”

“I’m understand,” Alexei said, but his mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls.  “Thank you.”

“Sure thing, Tater,” Georgia said.  “I’ll let you get back to Kent.  Call if you guys need anything.”

“Okay,” he said.  “Goodbye.”

Kit had joined Kent on the couch while Alexei was on the phone.  Tater wanted to fuss over his boyfriend, but there was really nothing to do but let him sleep.  Instead, he refilled Kit’s water dish and read over the instructions Kent’s doctor had sent home. 

After a few minutes, he found himself searching out the video Georgia had told him about.  It didn’t take long to find.  Someone had tweeted the clip under the tagline ‘Sebastien St. Martin defends Mashkov leaving Bruins game.’  Marty, freshly showered and in his postgame sweats, was the only person in the shot, and the journalist’s voice came from somewhere off camera.

“In the second period, Alexei Mashkov went off the ice looking pretty distressed,” the man said.  “What was the situation there?”

“Tater’s boyfriend Kent had a pretty serious seizure up in the stands,” Marty said.  Alexei hoped Kent wouldn’t mind him saying what had happened, but they’d always been open about it in the past.  The media knew Alexei had a boyfriend with congenital rubella syndrome and that meant, for Kent at least, he was blind and epileptic.  “He left in an ambulance, and Tater went to meet him at the hospital.  Georgia’s been in touch though, and it’s looking like Kent’s going to be okay.”

“And what kind of impact does it have on the team when a player like Mashkov is dealing with personal issues that affect his commitment?” the journalist asked.  Marty’s eyes narrowed instantly.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he said.

“Well,” the man stuttered, surprised by his change in disposition.  Marty was known for being one of the more levelheaded players in the league.  “Mashkov plays a huge role on this team, of course, but having a partner like Kent with reoccurring medical issues is going to affect his reliability-”

“We don’t have a single player whose commitment to this team is in question,” Marty said firmly.  “Every guy on this ice gives us everything they’ve got.  But at the end of the day, our families come first, and Kent is part of that.  If my wife fell or got in a car accident or something and went to the hospital with a _potential brain injury,_ nobody would expect me to be on the ice.  It’s not any different for Tater because Kent’s a guy or because he has a disability.  Mashkov has the same right to be with his family in an emergency as you or me or anybody else.”

The clip cut out in the middle of the journalists sputtered response.  It already had several thousand views, and the consensus among the replies was that it was a completely inappropriate question.  Alexei had more ice time than most guys on the team, and the Falconers had won the game without him there.

“Lex,” Kent mumbled from the couch.

“Hey, Kenny,” Alexei responded, taking care to keep his voice low as he put his phone away.  Kent’s head had to be pounding even with the pain medicine.

“I’m thirsty.”

“We’re have smoothie,” Alexei offered.  “Sound good?”

“Yeah,” Kent said.

“I’ll get for you.”

“Thanks,” Kent said when Alexei returned to the living room and handed him the cup.  “For everything, I mean.  Not just the smoothie.”

“Of course,” Alexei said.  “Got your back, Kenny.”


End file.
